>See through walls? Perfect! Use it to check if the coast is clear and sneak back into the mages guild and get your stuff back.

Unclevertitle wrote:

look in on the shopkeeper’s second floor and count the imps.

eggbrother wrote:

spy on gaius to find out what he is thinking

FreshFish wrote:

Find someone to look at, perhaps you could use this possible new ability to earn some money!

As nice as that would be, you are fairly sure seeing through walls does not entail the ability to walk through locked doors, see into people’s thoughts, or… see money out of people. However that works. Scouting the imps in Tavia’s attic could be kind of useful – if it’s just one, you could maybe eye-of-fear it – but that’s pretty far away and it looks like your, ah, “EAGLE VISION” is already wearing off.

Aaaaaand it’s gone.

Kofiman wrote:

Welp, now you’ve got the next step. Ask Lenka about alchemy.

You guess that’s probably a good idea, yeah. I mean, it’s getting late. You still need a place to stay tonight, and if Lenka knows alchemy maybe she could tell you which local plants around Kvatch are valuable. Or make you another weird eye-healing, wall-permeating sandwich so you can count those imps proper.

You head back to the field where you and Gaius stopped by the barbecue during his long flashback, but the grill is already packed up and Lenka is nowhere to be found.

You do manage to find a scrap of bread, though.

You put it in your inventory, since you’re apparently the sort of person who scavenges scraps of bread off the ground now.

Whoop-de-doo.

Coldmute wrote:

Katia, if someone or multiple someone’s are involved in your nightmares, that means you are important! Think of it this way, if some powerful being is going to go through the trouble of intruding on the domain of a Daedra, why would they target a seemingly unimportant, impoverished Khajiit? Seems like it would be a lot of wasted energy when they could target someone like a Lord or a military commander or someone wealthy, people with obvious influence. But they’re targeting you. So that means that, even if you may not seem to have control at this time, you’re still pretty damned important. You may even get your name mentioned in a book in the future or brought up during a class for training mages in the future. So you’ve got something to take pride in.

You know you said this before, but… you really don’t want to talk about this. Or think about it.

It doesn’t feel like you’re “important”. If anything, it’s just a reminder that nearly everything is out of your control. You used to at least be able to blame yourself; to keep telling yourself that this was all your fault, and if you lived life differently and changed who you were, things could change. If you couldn’t be happy, Katia Managan could. You used to be able to believe that the old life you drove into the ground was just a prequel to something good.

But now… you know that something is out to get you. Something big, that you can’t shed with a change of name, or run from in another country. You don’t know why, you don’t know what it wants, but you just know it’s one more in a world of things and people working against you, and you’re powerless to stop a single one of them.

The world wants you to fail, and there’s nothing you can do to control it.

And that feels…

Well, you don’t want to think about what it feels like. You guess you’re just going to keep going. You’ll eat food off the ground, try to find some way to make money, and hope that whoever’s out to get you that day of the week takes pity.

You guess the word for it is “scared”. Not a sharp, sudden fear, but a low, dull, hopeless hum. If you smile, joke, and ignore it, maybe you won’t have to feel it.

Of course, that’s kind of ruined now.

Mastaaa wrote:

Get someone to help you get your stuff back from Sigrid. That was a major dick-move on her part, and any decent person would understand that and be willing to help.

sabata2 wrote:

Gonna try to be a voice of reason here…

Do NOT attempt to “steal back” what you “lawfully gave” to Sigrid.
You’re facing a power you can’t think to combat, in both magical and social capability.
Sigrid runs the town. How would you get Quill-Weave’s package back if she catches you and pays the guards to never let you in?

Octane wrote:

Make figuring out a plan to break into the mages’ guild your biggest priority. What are your goals? To deliver Quill-Weave’s package, to figure out your magic biz, and to make money. What’s in the mages’ guild? Quill-Weave’s package, books on magic stuff, and HUGE PILES OF FUCKING TREASURE. It would only be appropriate to redistribute some of that ill-gotten loot to the poor folks Sigrin has downtrodden and oppressed. Like you, for instance.

You have been thinking about this, on the other hand, and…

Well, you’re with Sabata2 here: you think it might be time to throw in the towel on getting your stuff back from the Kvatch Mages guild.

You know it would fix things. You really do. Getting Quill-Weave’s package back would prove to her you can be trusted, and even a handful of coins from that goddamn heap would solve your food and housing problem for weeks to come.

However, it’s also a huge, dangerous gamble. And unlike delving into an ancient ruin in hopes of finding treasure or jumping down a well to kill some fish, you don’t even have a place to start. It’s just false hope; the warm feeling that if you could get in there, it would certainly be nice. Idealistic false hope like that is the sort of thing that lured you in there to begin with.

Not to mention… well, you’re safe now. They took your stuff, they probably think you’re still under the spell of Sigrid’s weird pheromone stuff or whatever, and they have no reason to come after you further. If you start trying to cause them problems, who knows what will happen. Whatever it is, you suspect it won’t end pretty for you. You want everything to be better, but you guess you’re starting to realize that you can’t be careless about it.

There’s still that low, quiet feeling of anger telling you that you should do something, that you should get some kind of revenge. But you just have to keep reminding yourself that this isn’t a storybook, and you’re not some sort of hero. And even if you wanted to be, the entire situation is still out of your control.

You notice your thoughts heading back down that path and push them away. You’re wasting the meager remaining daylight, and you still have plenty to do if you don’t want to sleep hungry on the streets.

So yeah. You are making an executive decision right now, in spite of all argument: no more fantasies about taking down the Kvatch Mages Guild. Quill-Weave is still counting on you not to screw up. Between this and your nightmares, you have to focus on what is in your reach, not waste time chasing after unseen malefactors.

Sorry about the delay on this, everyone. There’s still some fancy stuff coming up soon, so don’t think this was all I’ve been doing for three weeks.

But do you want to see more updates, RIGHT NOW? Consider the new link over on the sidebar, in which you can see a bonus side-story!… for the mere cost of helping me mercilessly defeat people I don’t even know.

See you guys soon!

Dragomok

Everything about that page is great, including your shirt’s name and FAQ.

And 500th comment.

hostergaard

Done and done.

I did not notice the link the sidebar, only because I saw your comment that I discovered it…

Awesome sidestory by the way!

SilverEnderwolf

Hey look! There’s Steven, or is it Stephan? No matter, go talk to him! See if you can get him to help you get to your stuff back, or at least explain why Sigrid ripped you off!

RascalNag

Wow, I didn’t know I got a Katia update AND a Quill Weave update in exchange for my vote!

lochy

wow… this adventure has entertained me for days now… pitty i have to wait for the next part :/
good job though!

Name Required

…you don’t know what it wants, but you just know it’s one more in a world of things things and people working against you…
>things things
pretty sure it’s suppose to be things, things, and people.

Kazerad

Whew, I’m glad we got the obligatory typo out of the way quickly. Thanks!

egg brother

under the 7th panel:

“it’s one more in a world of ‘things things’ and people working against you”

It appears that some suspicious activities are taking place off in the distance, wonder what it could be.

BaronvonSomething

“You still need a place to stay tonight, and if Leknka knows alchemy maybe she could tell you which local plants around Kvatch are valuable.”

Should be Lenka, right?

Kazerad

What typo? I clearly see no typo!

(thanks)

BaronvonSomething

Of course, any time :3

sabata2

This marks time #3 my command has been used.

Starting to feel special.

Kyber

I’m not sure if this is one of those, “If you don’t know then you don’t need to.”, deals but I was trying to prompt a command and I don’t know Kazerad’s first name.
Should I just not do that?

sabata2

Typically commands that are directly quoted will fit into Kaz’s story text well. So talking to Katia, or about a situation she has to deal with is more likely than “HEY KAZ DO THIS!”

That doesn’t mean a “HEY KAZ DO THIS!” won’t be read and considered. It just probably won’t make it to the visible page.

Kyber

Actually the difficulty I’m having is registering…

Yes I know I’m pathetic.

Kazerad

Oh, you mean for the forum registration?

MSPAforums.com isn’t mine, it has a community of people doing interactive-story-type things. The answer to the spam test there is “Andrew”. I might ask them if they’re willing to change it.

Kyber

Oh, by all that I hold dear thank you!

If you want you can delete my idiotic comments.

And thank you too sabato!

Kazerad

Nah, a few people have been having that problem after they added the spam test. If you don’t mind, I’m just going to let this comment thread stay here to help anyone else who meanders down to it.

Kyber

OK.

And thanks again.

Ultimate lol

I wonder what would happen if Katia were to meet a certain khajiit know for its lying.
It must happen!

Ma’iq

This one does not understand.

Dan

Katia know the names of the people in her mind? But that means she hear the sources of commands as distinct entities instead of verbal thoughts.
Is she schizophrenic? Is Tronn her cancer? What any of this means?

tronn

Just doing my part, Dan. It’s all in a day’s work for me…

And yes, I think that all the stress and misfortunes in her life have made the fragile mind of this young, once so smiling and bright-eyed Khajiit woman to crack under pressure. Case in point: She’s taking advice from the voices she hears in her head. Let that sink in for a while.

C0Mmander

Well it seems everyone in that world is hearing voices in their heads. So hallucinetics drugs in the air or something.

wolf

Ha, I like how Stephane or Stefane or… er, that monk guy, however you spell his name… is in the background. Hopefully it’s some sort of foreshadowing… maybe he’s getting a little fed up with Sigrid? Perhaps Katia helps him with something and he offers to return the favor by letting her back into the guild? Not likely, but it could happen.
Anyway, I hope she gets her stuff back soon, one way or another– whether she steals it back or somehow convinces people Sigrid is a duplicitous thief. Maybe somebody else will avenge themselves by stealing all Sigrid’s stuff and Katia will get her stuff back.

Tiberius Blake

Rest easy Katia! You’ve your own guardian Kingling running around in your head now! My first guiding words to you are…. Well shit it’s crowded in here… Hmm… well about you swivel an eye and ear over yonder to see what all those folks behind you are up to eh?

Quintus

Now I feel a little bit silly for writing about Katia flashily murdering someone in order to get into the Mages Guild. A little bit.

dude

Thanks
took a while though

A Pink Poodle

Heeeey… isn’t that Steve behind you in the distance?

… GET HIM! GET HIM NOW! KICK HIS ASS! BITE HIS HEAD! THROW AN ONION AT HIS GROIN!

Thrime

I absolutely love your work Kaz! I read all of it in one sitting throughout ten hours, and the few week wait for the update was worth the progress in story. How much did we cover? About a half-hour. Yes!!! Progress!

PersonPerson

I see no one has called first yet.
>.>
<.<

Anyways, I approve of this mentally sound course of action. The "Nefarious Schemes" side bar also holds my interest.

stupidjellyfish

Wait, why does that critter’s skeleton completely disappear with the body in the second panel?

kat you just named one of your voices
dont you know what that can entail?

Rowan

Next comes getting attatched to it, and then you start letting it sleep in your bed. Then you start waking up with strange pains in the morning.Then, you wake up three months later and start getting sick in the morning and a week after that you find that you’re pregnant.

Eir

Alternatively, would asking Sigrid for just the package back be a reasonable idea? Sure, she played you hard and ruthlessly, is a heartless scamming scumbag, and a terrible person, but even she should understand the importance of mail.

After all, “the mail is sacred, and sacred is the trust between the Post Man and the recipients of his precious parcels. You have made a solemn pledge to deliver [that package to Quill-Weave]. The mail is freedom. The mail is life. The mail is the very fabric of civilization.

The mail is the one final hope for resurrecting a dead [outlook] from its ashes, and the letter carriers are the brave soldiers of God in this righteous crusade. They are the defenders of the light of knowledge, free communication, and the exchange of ideas. They are the bold toters of all those little papery conduits of freedom, the white postmarked angels that whisper a message on their deliverance, a promise to the yearning: “There is hope yet.”

Liberty. Reason. Justice. Civility. Edification. Perfection.

MAIL.”

…

No but seriously, maybe Sigrid can be reasoned with, if you find something of value to trade the package with.

Thrime

Wow, really? I read that a couple minutes ago. XD Woot. Homestuck.

Link

Inb4 Stepháne (or whatever) turns out to be a good guy wanting to help Katia get her stuff back =P

Or….. is out to make sure she doesn’t come back to cause trouble.

SilverEnderwolf

By the way Katia, how do you pronounce your name: Ka-SHA or Kat-TEE-UH?

Chase after SEEN malefactors instead; isn’t that Sigrid’s lackey over there? You should totally beat him up.

SilverEnderwolf

But he’s a Necromancer in training, wouldn’t it be smarter to just talk with him?

btp

Kazerad, I’m curious why you had Katia’s monologue address the username of one of the commentors. Of course, it’s your prerogative, but I feel like it breaks the immersion of the comic. Up until this point the suggestions have helped guide the flow of the story, or even serve to help the balance of some sections (such as the descending dream-stairs), but they’ve consistently taken a background role. Having Katia “agree” with a specific suggester brings the comments into a new and possibly awkward role in the story (from a reader’s perspective at least).

btp

Unrelatedly, I love the villain silhouette panel.

Kazerad

This is actually the third or fourth time she’s done it, and there’s a bit of a pattern under which it occurs. Not that I can argue with whether or not it broke your own immersion, but it’s definitely not the first time it’s happened.

Quintus

It’s not Katia who’s called the commenter by name, it’s the narrator. In Katia’s mind, they may still be distinct but nameless voices.

CorThunder

Will we find out what happened to Dimitri? Or is that arc closed for good? And before anyone scoffs at that, may I remind you that he is a necromancer who died just outside a hideout ofother necromancers?

Eir

I was really looking forward to Dmitri being the first unconditionally nice person to Katia. :c

Panthera

nice reference to half life 2 at the end there

Tobi2500

What half life reference?

stupidjellyfish

He means “benefactors” and “Unforeseen Consequences”.

Tobi2500

oh thnks

Kita Rouge

I’m so glad you’re back!!!!!

Katia. Just an idea.
You’re still under the spell, at least in their thoughts, so you could keep them thinking that.
Figure out a way from someone who knows something about these spells.
Find a way to block it.
Get in there, play along. Grab your stuff and RUN!
Running is the best.

Ra’Zharr

Ah, I see what this one was doing, a side story, no? Brilliant.

Gwyrion

Go talk to those two nice figures who just happen to be in the background. Maybe one of them can help you.

Mizana

You keep making me want to do art like this with the pixels and the simple coloring.
Then I remember how much of a pain in the ass it is. |3

Sir Wiest

About the Kvatch Mage’s guild, Sigrid used some type of perfume, and then you lost all resistance, right? blocking that should be as simple as making a pair of noseplugs. then you can sneak in and take your stuff! maybe a little extra…

whowherewhat

DId anyone propose to call her new ability catscan yet?

Blezmo

that’s wierd the thread closed, and I didn’t even get to post any suggestions this time

tronn

It’s because people should keep long speeches and off-topic discussions here, and only use the thread for leaving clear, concise commands or discussing about them. Kaz has told us not to spam the thread more than once, or he will get it closed. Which is what happened.

Shazbot

Unfortunately I didn’t think of -> Activate Skeev-dar soon enough.

Duster

Haha, that bench has a hole for tails!

theplunderking

after viewing the submit suggestion box I think some of those “commands” need to make their way here. those are supposed to be actual commands. you know… short, sweet and to the point. not discussing whose mspa avatar is cooler. now katia is gonna be for the most part auto pilot for an update or two. just… dang it :/

Killerfish

Ooo yes! Moar Updates! Can’t wait! 😀

Jerf McDerf

I was brought here from someone who was using image caps of Katia as an avatar on 4chan, just wanted to say I love the comic. Very good art, and I like how you implement the user commands.

SavageHoax

Didn’t Gaius mention in his story that he has the daedric lord of nightmares home phone number? You should totally see about giving Vaermina a call. I’ll bet they would be interested to know that you have similar – yet different – nightmares to Gaius. Perhaps they might even help us?

bobucles

Hold on! You just got a set of armor(for FREE), a full day’s worth of training (for FREE), AND some valuable exposition(for FREE). It’s time to go on an adventure! Quill weave can wait. What you NEED is some hard work to drown out those woes.

Head to the tavern. There has to be someone with rats in their basement. Or rats in their garden. Or some other form of rodent-related problem. You can make some quick coin, feast on delicious rat burgers, AND get some valuable martial practice. If it doesn’t work out, at least your sad, battered and broken remains can be used as garden fertilizer. Which is still a step up in your overall usefulness of late.

You know, I’ve heard that Quill-Weave has a rat problem in her basement…

Redspine

Katia, you may not be the kind of Hero who banishes daedra, suplexes vampires into the dirt, and drop kicks bandits just yet. But you are already a hero in all of our eyes.

After all what you’ve endured would make lesser people decide to study biology through the grievous misuse of Acrobatics and and Swordsmanship. But instead you just keep on trying to make things better.

So let’s slow down and focus on what you need to do now. You still have that dance competition tonight, and while it’s not the most glorious start it IS an opportunity to make some starting gold. If nothing else it’ll pay for a meal later tonight, if you do extra well you might be able to use the gold to pay for the replacement book.

whowherewhat

Katia certainly is a great punching ball. Or scratch post.

Servus_Vepcil

That “Best Idea” panel made me think of Vriska making Tavros jump off a cliff. xD

KSatsu

Not sure if this is a typo or grammar quirk, but this part reads a bit oddly to me:

“But now… you know the something is out to get you.”

Should not ‘the’ be ‘that’? =)

Kazerad

Woah, whoops, thanks! That is most definitely a typo.

Mzuark

Well that means another few updates of nothing especially satisfactory happening.

dtlux14

Poor Kajiit, no idea how to spell that, but hey, 10 days ago I didn’t even know what one was. That’s not as amusing 8 days ago when I said that…